Adjustable jacket



Aug. 11, 1942.

P. H. BAILEY ADJUSTABLE J ACKET- Filed March 15, 1940 5 Sheets-Sheet l A TTORNEY.

1942- P. H. BAILEY ADJUSTABLE 'JACKET Filed March 15, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 mmvr om. #501125 BY ATTORNEY.

.5 5715/4 llll 1 Aug. 11, 1942. BAILEY 2,292,348

ADJ'USTABLE' JACKET I Filed March 15, 1940' s Sheets-Sheet 5 I T 111%EN-TOR.

erlgims a Z y, BY WJJW.

A TTORNEY Patente d Aug. 11, 1942 2,292,348 ADJUSTABLE moxn'r Perkins E. Bailey, New York, N. Y., assignor to Talon, Inc., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application March 15, 1940, Serial No. 324,120

3 Claims.

This invention relates to garments and, in particular, to coats or jackets of the type provided with linings, either integrally or permanently connected -to the body of the garment or detachably connected to the body of the garment.

It is an object of this invention to provide, in a garment of the class described, expansible, yielding or resilient tensioning means, comprising a band or bands, associated with the garment lining, which means will achieve comfortable, neat, and snug fitting of the garment front against the body of the wearer.

It is a further object of this invention to provide such means which is selectively adjustable for varying the tightness of fit of the garment and which is wholly releasable in order that the entire garment, including the lining. will hang loosely upon the body of the wearer.

It is a further object of this invention to provide such a construction, wherein the yielding means is disposed wholly, or substantially, withv in the rear of the garment, whereby to avoid clumsy and bulky appearance and wherein the stress applied to the garment by the yielding means, and through the garment to the body of a wearer, is exerted adjacent the back only of the garment wearer, whereby to avoid deleterious effects of the application of tension upon the front of the waist of a wearer.

It is a, further object of the invention to provide a garment wherein the above advantages are achieved without conspicuous apparent modification of the garment and without material increase in the cost of the garment.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompaying drawings which form a part thereof, and will be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front view of a garment constructed according to this invention with front closed;

Fig. 2 is a view of the garment of Fig. 1, with front open and the front edges spread apart to show the details of the interior of the garment,

the tensioning means being shown in released position;

Fig. 3 is a section taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a section taken substantially on the I line 44 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 2, but showing the expansible tensioning means in one tensioning adjustment thereof;

Fig. 6 is a section taken substantially on the line 66 of Fig. 5;

Fig. '7 is a section taken substantially on the line of Fig. 5;

Fig. 8 is a. view similar to Figs. 2 and 5 of a modified garment construction according to this invention;

Fig. 9 is a section taken substantially on the line 99 of Fig. 8; and

Fig. 10 is a section taken substantially on the line Ill-l0 of Fig. 8.

Referring to the drawings in detail and with reference particularly to Figs. 1 to 7, the body of the illustrated garment, which is a short coat or jacket, comprises a back panel l0 having its opposite side edges secured by seams l2 to a left front panel l4 and a right front panel l5 (Figs.

2 and 5). Connected to the upper ends of the back panel l0, left front It and right front panel l5, by means of a suitable seam I6, is a collar ll. Also secured to the back panel l0, left front panel I4 and right front panel IS, in conventional manner, are the left sleeve I8 and right sleeve I9.

Disposedon the interior of the back panel Ill and front panels l4 and I5 is a suitable lining 20, which is of substantially the same shape and size as the interior of the panels Hi, It and IS.

'The lining 20 has its upper edge portion secured to the panels l0, l4 and I5 at the collar seam l6 and has its lower edge completely free of the back panel In and substantially free of the iron panels I and l5,

The left side edge is secured to the left front panel i4 adjacent its. front edge by means of stitching 22. The. stitching 22 also secures to the front edge of the front panel Hi, the left slide fastener stringer 24, which is stitched between the lining 20 and the front edge portion of the panel M.

In similar manner, the right side edge of the lining 20 is secured to the front edge portion of the right panel l5 by stitching 23 which secures the righthand slide fastener stringer 25 between the adjacent edges of the right front panel I5 and the lining 20, as shown in Fig. 4.

The lower edge of the lining 20 is preferably overlapped upon itself at 26 for reinforcing pur-. poses, the portion 26 being stitched to the forward edge portion of the left front panel l4 and right front panel l5 inwardly of the stitching 22 and 23 by reinforcing stitchings 21.

The lefthand slide fastener stringer 24 comprises a tape having thereon a row of interlocking fastener members terminating at the top in the top stop 24a and at the bottom in the separating bottom end or bottom stop 24b. A Slider 240 is supported upona row of interlocking fastener members and cooperates with a similar row of interlocking fastener members on the righthand fastener stringer 25 for opening and closing the fastener.

The row of interlocking fastener members on the righthand slide fastener stringer 25, which is generally similar to the stringer 24, terminates upwardly in the top stop 25a and terminates at the lower end in the pin member 251) of the separating' bottom stop or separable bottom end fitting.

This pin member 251) may be threaded through the channel of the slider 2'c and into a recess provided in the separating bottom stopmember 242) whereupon the slider may be moved slidably upwardly progressively to engage the interlocking fastener members of the stringers 24 and 25 to secure the front edges of the front panels id and 85 together, as shown in Fig. l, to close the jacket front.

As the front, or outer, edges of the lining 29 are secured to the stringers or stitched, with the corresponding edges of the front panels, to the stringers 24 and '25; connection of the stringers 24 and 25 to close the front of the jacket body simultaneously closes the front of the lining 26.

While, in the drawings, I have illustrated the lining 213 as permanently secured by stitching to the body of the garment which comprises back panel I6, front panels i4 and i5 and collar H, at its upper and front, side, edges, it is, of course, to be understood that these edge portions of the lining 26 may be detachably secured to the body long as the lining is free from attachment to the garment, at its lower end, intermediate the front edges thereof.

The tensioning means in the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 1 to 7 comprises a pair of yieldable, resilient, tensioning bands 30. These tensioning bands 36 are formed of any suitable resilient material such as rubber and have their inner ends secured to the overlapped lower edge portion 26 .of the lining by means of stitching 3|, as

shown in Figs. 2, 3, 5, 6 and 7.

At their outer or free ends, the tensioning bands or band members 30 are provided with suitable detachablefastening means such as the female snap fastener member 32'. These female snap fastener members 32 are selectively engageable with any one of the spaced complementary male snap fastener members 33, 34, 35 or 36, as shown in Figs. 2, 5 and 6, for the purpose of adjustment of the effective length of the lower overlapped edge portion 26 of the lining 26. i

It is, of course, to be understood that any other suitable means, such as buttons and buttonholes, may be provided for this purpose. When the female snap fastener members 32 are engaged with the. male snap fastener members 33, no tension is applied to the lower edge portion 26 of the lining and the length of the unstressed band member 36 is substantially as great as that of the overlying portion of the garment body. The lining then fits loosely upon the body of the wearer, as shown in Fig. 3, no tension being applied to the front of the garment, or the back of the garment, through the lining 26.

When the female fastener members 32 are engaged with any of the male snap fastener members 34, 35, or 36, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, tension is applied to the resilient bands or band members 36, shown in Fig.6, in such manner that varying degrees of tension are applied to the garment body, adjacent the front edges thereof,,

through effective shortening of the overlapped lower edge portion 26 of the lining. This causes a buckling of the portions of the lower edge portion 2.6 of the lining between the stitching 3| of each band member 36 and the male snap fastener member engaged by the female snap fastener member 32, as shown in Fig. 6, and this is accompanied by a similar freedom of the overlying portions of the garment body, as also shown in Fig. 6.

The tensioning of the lower edge portion of the lining 2b by such adjustment of the tensioning bands, as is last described above, this lower edge portion 26 and the tensioning bands 36 are caused to hug tightly against the body line 37 of the wearer, as shown in Fig. 1. While I have illustrated four adjustments of the tensioning bands 39, in one of which the tensioning bands.

3|! are unstressed or unstretched, and in the others of which varying degrees of tension are applied to the tensioning bands 30, it is, of course,

to be understood that any desired number and spacing of the snap fastener members or their equivalent may be applied, as desired, in the described relationship.

Likewise the lining may extend downwardly substantially below the waistline and the tensioning bands may be spaced upwardly beyond the overlapped edge portion 26. While the tensioning band members 3|) are shown as comprised of bare resilient material, it is, of course, to be understood that they may be provided with covering of material similar to, or harmonizing with, the material of the lining 20.

In the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 8, 9, and 10, the lining 26 is formed and attached to the body of the garment in the manner described above, though the tensioning means, in that embodiment, comprises a single tensioning band or tensioning band member 46, preferably disposed within the tunnel-like overlapped lower end portion 26 of the lining, substantially midway between the front edges thereof, and having its ends anchored to the overlying portions of the lower edge portion 26 of the lining 20 by stitching 4|, which may optionally secure the ends of the band 40 and adjacent portions of the lining 26 to the garment body.

This tensioning band member 40 is applied to the lower edge portion 26 of the lining in such manner that the overlying portions of the lining are buckled or puckered due to the application of tension between the anchored ends of the tensioning band member 4|, as shown in Figs. 8 and 9. In this embodiment, the lower edge portion 26 of the lining 20 has tension always applied anchored to said lining and the other end thereof wearer, a lining secured to said garment body and free of attachment to said garment body intermediate its side edge portions adjacent the waistline, and tension means disposed transversely of said lining adjacent the garment waist portion and including a resilient band substantially spaced from the side edges of the garment and having one end anchored to said lining and the other end detachably connectible to said lining at points spaced transversely on said lining at varying distances greater than the normal unstretched length'of said band.

2. In a garment of the class described, a garment body extending below tmwaistline of a wearer, a lining secured to said garment body and free of attachment to said garment body intermediate its side edge portions adjacent the waistline, and tension means extending transversely of said lining adjacent the waistline and comprising a pair of oppositely directed resilient bands substantially spaced from the side edges of the garment and each having one end thereof detachably connectible to said lining at points spaced transversely on said lining at varying distances.

3. In a garment of the class described, a garment body, a lining secured to said garment body at its upper and side edges only and terminating downwardly adjacent the waistline of the wearer, tension band means associated with said lining ad'acent the lower edge thereof and comprising a pair of extensible resilient bands spaced substantially from the side edges of the garment and each having one end anchored to said lining and having detachable fastening members at the free ends thereof, and a plurality of transversely spaced fastener members on said lining complementary with said first-named fastener members, and engageable selectively by said first-named fastener members for applying varying tensions 20 in said extensible resilient bands.

PERKINS H. BAILEY. 

